The Health Benefits Of Garlic

The best cuisine in the world relies on various herbs to add flavor and spice to the food. Garlic is one of the most popular flavoring agents used by cooks. Historians have traced the early use of garlic as a food ingredient and a medicinal herb, more than 2,000 years ago. The Greeks and Indians used garlic to treat respiratory disorders and digestion problems. This was about 2,500 years ago. The pyramids in Egypt draw millions of visitors from every corner of the world. Mind boggling man power and grueling labor went into the construction of each Egyptian pyramid. It is said that the workers who were involved in the construction were given garlic to keep them healthy and fit. Interestingly many findings from modern science and medicine, seem to confirm what our great ancestors knew for thousands of years. As we move through this report, we request that you keep one important thing in mind. Nothing what you read here or hear about anywhere else, should be used as a substitute for professional medical advice.

Improves Overall Health: Many studies have confirmed that regular consumption of garlic, improves immunity and overall health. It is recommended that you keep your garlic consumption to not more than 1 large clove (about 3 to 4 grams) a day. It has also been found that garlic can reduce, the over exhaustion that some people experience after completing their exercise routine. This was probably the benefit of garlic that the Egyptians experienced when, workers building pyramids were given garlic in their daily meals.

External Applications: Researchers have found that rubbing garlic oil on inflamed joints or muscles, helped reduce inflammation and this in turn reduces pain. Garlic has also been known to help fight fungus, this is probably due to the sulfur present in the herb. Athletes foot is a condition that is caused by a type of fungus, the patient can experience severe discomfort due to itching caused by the fungus. Sports trainers often recommend soaking the affected foot in warm water, with crushed garlic. Alternatively, you could try rubbing sliced garlic on the area that is being attacked by the fungus.

Improving Heart Condition: Tremendous research has been done and more is underway to confirm, the benefits of garlic related to the functioning of the heart. Make sure that you do not use the information provided here to treat any sort of heart disorder. You can of course discuss these notes with your doctor, it might just be possible to include the goodness of garlic into your treatment plan. Some studies have reported improvement in cholesterol levels after regular consumption of garlic. Atherosclerosis is a medical condition where, arteries tend to harden. Eating garlic everyday, seems to slow down the development of atherosclerosis. This artery condition has a direct relationship with severe heart ailments, it can also result in heart attack and stroke. Another reason for an unhealthy heart is high blood pressure, this is one other thing that garlic might help control. Most medical experts are aware that, garlic can work as a blood thinner. This is something that reduces the risk of artery blockages.

Common Cold And Cancer: While more research needs to be done, researchers sometimes claim that, garlic helps control common colds and also, lowers the risk of getting some types of cancer. We have clubbed cancer and common cold into this paragraph only because, both these health problems seem to be managed in the same way by garlic. One of the health benefits of eating garlic that we mentioned above, related to the improvement in immunity levels. Studies have found that people who ate garlic or garlic based supplements regularly, had a lower risk of catching the common cold. And when they did get a cold, recovery seemed to happen much faster. As garlic boosts body immunity, the body is better geared to fight many diseases and cancer seems to be one of them. Further research seems to point towards the capability of garlic to lower the risks of getting some types of cancer. These could include cancers related to the stomach, esophagus and colon. You would surely be aware that, cancer is a disease that requires much diagnosis and treatment, do not attempt to treat yourself with garlic or any other form of self medication.

Cautions: Garlic does not generally cause any serious side effects. Some people do experience acidity and throat burn when they eat garlic. If these happen to you, try adding garlic to your food - heating garlic can get rid of these problems. If the problem persists, garlic supplements might be a good option. Here is a very important note, make sure that you read it carefully and understand the content. People who are under medication for high blood pressure, should discuss with their doctor before embarking on a plan to regularly consume garlic. We did mention above, that garlic seems to have the capability to lower blood pressure. Since garlic can act like a blood thinner, people who are on blood thinning medications should talk to their doctor before, working on a plan to regularly eat garlic or garlic supplements. If you happen to be eating garlic in any form regularly, make sure that your medical adviser is made aware of this in these cases. Any type of surgery or even an elaborate tooth extraction process, could cause bleeding. The blood thinning capability of garlic could pose a problem in such cases.